COED 611: Theories and Techniques 10

RADFORD UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF COUNSELOR EDUCATION

COED 611: INTRODUCTION TO THEORIES AND TECHNIQUES OF COUNSELING

Fall 2008

Instructor: Dr. Ellen Armbruster

Office: Peters Hall, Suite C131B

Phone: 540-831-7145

e-mail:

Office Hours: Tuesday 2-4; Wednesday 2-4

Course Time: Wednesday 6-9

Course Location: Peters Hall C116

Course Description

The purpose of this course is to provide graduate students an opportunity to learn, understand, implement, and experience the theories and helping skills that guide the practice of counseling. Students will begin to learn how to put theory into practice through both in- and out- of class activities. In addition to learning about the various theoretical approaches and basic counseling skills, students will be asked to consider which theories correspond best to their particular way of viewing the counseling relationship. Multicultural concerns and ethical implications will be explored, as well.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, students will:

1.  Be able to use the basic helping skills and techniques.

2.  Understand the different counseling theories and their applications.

3.  Be able to implement various theoretical approaches.

4.  Begin to articulate a personal theoretical approach to counseling.

5.  Be able to integrate theories and techniques to meet clients’ needs.

6.  Increase awareness of cultural differences and their impact on the theoretical approaches and techniques used with clients.

7.  Understand the strengths and limitations of theories.

Required Textbooks

Corey, G. (2009). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (8th ed.). Belmont,

CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

Corey, G. (2009). Student manual for theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (8th

ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

Cormier, S. & Hackney, H. (2008). Counseling strategies and interventions (7th ed.). Boston:

Allyn and Bacon.

Supplemental Readings

Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and emotional disorders. New York: International

Universities Press.

Burns, D. (1988). Feeling good: The new mood therapy. New York: Signet Press.

De Jong, P. & Kim Berg, I. (2002). Interviewing for solutions (2nd ed.). Brooks/Cole.

Ellis, A. & Harper, R. (1975). A new guide to rational living (Rev. Ed.) Hollywood, CA: Wilsire

Books.

Frankl, V. (1963). Man’s search for meaning. Boston: Beacon.

Freud, S. (1955). The interpretation of dreams. London: Hogarth Press.

Glasser, W. (1969). Schools without failure. New York: Harper & Row.

Lauver, P. & Harvey, D. R. (1997). The practical counselor: Elements of effective helping. Pacific

Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Lazarus, A. A. (1989). The practice of multimodal therapy. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins

University Press.

Meichanbaum, D. (1977). Cognitive behavior modification: An integrative approach. New York:

Plenum.

Meier, S. T. & Davis, s. R. (2005). The elements of counseling (5th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA:

Brooks/Cole.

Nichols, M. P. & Schwartz, R. C. (2001). Family therapy: Concepts and methods (5th ed.). Boston:

Allyn and Bacon.

Perls, F. (1969). In and out of the garbage pail. Moab, UT: Real People Press.

Prochaska, J. O. & Norcross, J. C. (2003). Systems of psychotherapy: A transtheoretical analysis

(5th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Rogers, C. (1961). On becoming a person. Boston: Houghton and Mifflin.

Rogers, C. (1980). A way of being. Boston: Houghton and Mifflin.

Satir, V. (1988). The new peoplemaking. Palo Alto, CA: Science and Behavior Books.

Skinner, B. F. (1971). Beyond freedom and dignity. New York: Knopf.

Teybor, E. (2000). Interpersonal process in psychotherapy: A relational approach (4th. Ed.).

Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Course Requirements

1.  Weekly Simulated Clinical Sessions: You will be placed in teams of three. Your triad will meet weekly (for approximately 1.5 hours at a time) outside of class to practice the skills and theories from the previous class. Although you may not agree with or like all the theories you will be trying out, the purpose is to try them all in order to help you begin to settle in on your own theoretical perspective. Here are the stipulations:

  1. Review, sign, and turn in the Consent Form (Appendix A). Remember, you will be role playing client situations. Please do not use personal situations in your triads.
  2. In your weekly triad, rotate through with each of you taking a turn being a client, a counselor, and an observer.
  3. Each session must be 20 to 30 minutes in length (or a total of approximately 90 minutes per week for your triad).
  4. Each session must be recorded (please use appropriate DVDs).
  5. Counselors will complete “Session Notes” for each simulated session (Appendix B).
  6. Observers will fill out the “Peer Observation Form” for each counselor every week and give it to the counselor to include in his or her packet (Appendix C).
  7. You will be asked to turn in two DVDs during the semester (one at midterm and one at the end of the semester), along with a transcript demonstrating your ability to use the skills and theories you have learned up to that point.
  8. See Appendix D for a transcript example and guide.
  9. When you hand in Recording 1 and Transcript 1, include all your peer observations and all session notes up to that point.
  10. When you hand in Recording 2 and Transcript 2, include all your peer observations and all session notes up to that point.

2.  Class participation: Each student is expected to attend all class meetings and to arrive on time. Students who are chronically late or who miss one or more classes will not receive full credit for participation, except under exceptional circumstances. Please see me if you believe you have an exceptional circumstance. Since the course is designed to be student-centered, active participation is very important. Students must come to class prepared and ready to share and discuss their experiences as a rising helping professional. In order to participate fully in class, students must complete all assigned readings ahead of time and bring textbooks to each class meeting. Examples of excellent, average, and poor participation follow:

  1. Excellent Participation: Contributions in class indicate one has read and is up to date in counseling theories/skills, leads discussions, offers pertinent and succinct information without dominating the conversation, invites others in the class to participate in the discussion, and is open to sharing how one is affected by the profession.
  2. Average Participation: Reacts to the contributions of others, responds when called upon by the instructor or peers, follows the class discussions yet does not contribute often and does not lead conversations.
  3. Poor Participation: Absent and/or disregard and disrespect for peers and the instructor.

3.  Personal Theory Paper: As professional counselors, it is imperative that we are able to articulate and implement a personal theory of counseling, as this will help us to serve our clients more effectively. However, developing a personal theory of counseling is a process that continues over time, and you are not expected to have a fully developed personal theory by the end of the semester. Rather, I would like you to begin to explore where you might fit theoretically within the broad range of counseling perspectives. Here are the stipulations:

  1. The paper should be five to seven pages long.
  2. Must follow APA style (cite references appropriately).
  3. Include the following headings:
  4. Introduction: In this section, give a brief overview of what you will be writing about in the rest of the paper.
  5. Personal Philosophy/Beliefs about Counseling: In this section discuss what you believe about the counseling process (for example, how important is the therapeutic relationship, should counseling be short- or long-term, is it important to “dredge up” the past, etc.)
  6. Key Theorists: In this section consider two or three of the theorists we have studied during the semester. Choose the theorists that most closely fit your personal philosophy and beliefs about counseling. Discuss: a) the main tenets of their theories; b) their view of the primary causes of psychological distress and how to heal the problem; and c) the multicultural implications of the theories.
  7. Integration: This is the most challenging part of the paper. In this section, show that you can integrate the theories you have chosen into a personal theory of counseling by applying your personal theory to a counseling case. Be sure to read chapter 16 in the Corey textbook before you attempt this. Think about Gerald Corey counseling Stan and then, using your personal theory of counseling, tell how your session would proceed.
  8. Conclusion: Summarize what you have written about in your paper.

4.  Examinations: There will be two exams during the semester, a midterm and a final. Most likely, the exams will be multiple choice.

Grading

Your final grade will be based on your performance in the four areas described above.

1.  Weekly Simulated Clinical Sessions 40%

2.  Attendance and Class Participation 20%

3.  Examinations (10% each) 20%

4.  Personal Theory Paper 20%

Grade “A” 90%-100%

Grade “B” 80%-89%

Grade “C” 70%-79%

Grade “D” 60%-69%

Grade “F” Below 60%

No late work will be accepted and no incompletes will be granted, except under exceptional circumstances. Please see me if you believe you have an exceptional circumstance.

University and Department Policy

1.  Radford University Honor Statement: I do hereby resolve to uphold the Honor Code of Radford University by refraining from lying, from the illegal appropriation of property, and from violating the Standards of Student academic Integrity. By accepting admission to Radford University and the Department of Counselor Education, you have agreed to abide by the Honor Code and the rules and regulations of the University. Refer to your student handbook for details.

2.  Ethical Standards: As students in a Counselor Education Program, you are expected to adhere to the Ethical Guidelines outlined by the American Counseling Association (ACA). Please print and read these guidelines at www.counseling.org.

You are required to sign an informed consent form (Appendix A) to participate in this class. Although you will be using role plays in the weekly simulated clinical sessions, please treat these sessions as though they were true counseling situations, and consider the session contents to be confidential. You will have the opportunity to discuss your triad experiences in class as part of simulated group supervision. Exceptions to the ethical obligation to hold session information confidential include harm to self or others, abuse of a child, and a court order signed by a judge.

3.  Radford University Disability Accommodation Statement: If you are seeking classroom accommodations under the American with Disabilities Act, you are required to register with the Disability Resource Office. The DRO is located in the lower level of Tyler Hall (Telephone: 831-6350). To receive academic accommodations for this class, please obtain the proper DRO forms and meet with assigned DRO staff at the beginning of the semester.

4.  Radford University Non-Discrimination Policies: Radford University does not discriminate with regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, national origin, religion, or political affiliation in the administration of its educational programs, activities, admission or employment practices. Inquiries about this policy may be directed to the Social Equity Office at 704 Clement Street. (Telephone voice 540-831-5421; hearing impaired 540-831-5128)

5.  Department of Counselor Education on Liability Insurance: As counselors in training in this program, you will be called upon to role-pay, work with student clients, and counsel clients (in your practicum and internship)/ Your professional development includes professional association membership and securing professional/student liability malpractice insurance. Please contact the American Counseling Association (ACA) at its website: www.counseling.org.

Instructor reserves the right to change, add, or delete parts of the syllabus in order to accommodate class needs or facilitate learning more effectively.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1: 9-3-08

Introduction and overview

Personal and professional issues

The helping profession

Read: Corey textbook, chapters 1 and 2

Cormier & Hackney, chapter 1

Do: Corey student manual, self-inventory pages 8-12 and pages 13-15

Week 2: 9-10-08

Ethical and multicultural issues in counseling

Read: Corey textbook, chapter 3

ACA Code of Ethics (you can find and print this at www.counseling.org)

Do: Corey student manual, self-inventory pages 20-22 and pages 28-29

Week 3: 9-17-08

Psychoanalytic therapy

The counseling relationship

Read: Corey textbook, chapter 4

Cormier & Hackney, chapter 2

Do: Corey student manual, self-inventory pages 37-38

Week 4: 9-24-08

Adlerian therapy

Attending to clients

Read: Corey textbook, chapter 5

Cormier & Hackney, chapter 3

Do: Corey student manual, self-inventory pages 51-52

Corey student manual, lifestyle assessment pages 56-59

Week 5: 10-1-08

Existential therapy

Communication patterns in counseling

Read: Corey textbook, chapter 6

Cormier & Hackney, chapter 4

Do: Corey student manual, self-inventory pages 69-70

Week 6: 10-8-08

Person-centered therapy

Managing the counseling session

Read: Corey textbook, chapter 7

Cormier & Hackney, chapter 5

Do: Corey student manual, self-inventory pages 81-82

Week 7: 10-15-08

Gestalt therapy

Responding to affective content

Read: Corey textbook, chapter 8

Cormier & Hackney, chapter 7

Do: Corey student manual, self-inventory pages 94-95

Week 8: 10-22-08

Behavior therapy

Responding to cognitive content

Read: Corey textbook, chapter 9

Cormier & Hackney, chapter 6

Do: Corey student manual, self-inventory pages 108-109

Due: Tape 1 and Transcript 1 (plus all peer observations and session notes for first five sessions)

Take: Midterm Exam

Week 9: 10-29-08

Cognitive behavior therapy

Conceptualizing issues and setting goals

Read: Corey textbook, chapter 10

Cormier & Hackney, chapter 8

Do: Corey student manual, self-inventory pages 127-128

Week 10: 11-5-08

Reality therapy

Integrative counseling strategies and interventions

Read: Corey textbook, chapter 11

Cormier & Hackney, chapter 9

Do: Corey student manual, self-inventory pages 145-146

Week 11: 11-12-08

Feminist therapy

Common challenges

Read: Corey textbook, chapter 12

Cormier & Hackney, chapter10

Do: Corey student manual, self-inventory pages 161-162

Week 12: 11-19-08

Postmodern approaches

Read: Corey textbook, chapter 13

Do: Corey student manual, self-inventory pages 178-179

Week 13: 12-3-08

Family Systems Therapy

Read: Corey textbook, chapter 14

Do: Corey student manual, self-inventory pages 193-194

Due: Tape 2 and Transcript 2 (plus all peer observations and session notes for second five sessions)

Week 14: 12-10-08

Integration

Read: Corey textbook, chapters 15 and 16

Corey student manual, pages 221-224

Do: Corey student manual, applications of theoretical approaches pages 209-212

Due: Personal Theory Paper

Week 15: 12-17-08

Take: Final Exam